MA. DEL CARMEN VALVERDE VALDÉS
Descripción:
The jaguar is an animal that ever since Pre-hispanic times, has been associated to shamanic practices in Mesoamerica. In several Mayan areas, there are plastic representations from classical ages which show the ones who certainly were shamans carrying feline attributes. The author points out following testimonies of the moment of contact- that, one of the qualities of these characters was the ability to transform themselves into a jaguar. This article also analyses the different felid qualities that shamans obtain when they reach altered states of consciousness, comparing them with other points in Mesoamerica.